Latest Workers' Compensation Headlines

All the headlines from our Workers' Compensation Topic Page, ordered by recency.

National Alliance Unveils New Designation Program for School Risk Managers

Apr 22 2005 // An all-new education and designation program specifically for education risk management specialists has been developed by The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research in partnership with Texas Schools Risk...

Okla. Governor Praises House Committee Approval of Comp Reform Legislation

Apr 22 2005 // Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry’s office reported that his efforts to reform Oklahoma’s workers compensation system cleared another legislative hurdle, passing the House Judiciary Committee. Senate Bill 846, which is...

AIA: SB 899 Makes a Difference to Work Comp System

Apr 20 2005 // April 19 marks the anniversary of the signing of SB 899, the third of three significant workers’ compensation reform measures enacted during the past few years by California’s elected officials. Together, these...

CA DWC Releases First Annual Report of Progress on Workers’ Comp Reforms

Apr 18 2005 // The California Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) has released its first annual report of progress on implementation of Senate Bill (SB) 889, the law authorizing workers’ compensation reform passed...

For Retail Risk Managers, Workplace Violence and Staff Turnover Proving Top Challenges

Apr 18 2005 // Workplace violence and staff turnover are cited by risk managers in the retail industry as among their biggest challenges to effectively managing their workers’ compensation exposures. According to a recent study...

Mass. Weighs Small Rate Hike While Medical Costs Take Toll

Apr 18 2005 // While Massachusetts insurance officials are weighing a request by the industry to inch up workers’ compensation rates by 1 percent, a new study suggests that claim costs are accelerating by leaps and bounds, largely...

WORKERS’ COMP RATES CUT:

Apr 18 2005 // The Pennsylvania Insurance Department has approved a 2.89 percent average rate reduction for workers’ compensation premiums, saving employers an additional $32.5 million in premiums this year. “Pennsylvania has...

DONE AND DONE: BLUNT SIGNS COMP, TORT REFORMS

Apr 18 2005 // Republican Gov. Matt Blunt signed two major items off his legislative to-do list when he signed industry-backed workers’ compensation and tort reforms into law recently. Both sets of reforms were stymied under...

GOT COMP? INSURANCE LOOK-UP NOW ONLINE

Apr 18 2005 // Online information about whether a Minnesota employer has the required workers’ compensation coverage is now available to the public on the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry Web site (www.doli.state.mn. us)....

Volatile Underwriting Cycle is Back with a Vengeance, Advises Economist

Apr 18 2005 // The property/casualty insurance industry’s frequently volatile underwriting cycle is back with a vengeance and will have no mercy this time around, advises a top industry economist. The property/casualty financial...

Workers’ Compensation Reform: Good Medicine But No Cure

Apr 18 2005 // As every employer knows, Texas’ workers’ compensation system is sick. In fact, some say it’s on life support. The remedies offered by the two bills currently before the legislature–House Bill 7 and...

IIA Oklahoma Urges Agents to Attend Capitol Event

Apr 18 2005 // Dan Ramsey, executive director of the Independent Insurance Agents of Oklahoma (www.iiaok.com) sent a message to agents encouraging them to attend IIAO Day at the Capitol on April 27. Urging agents to become actively...

WORKERS’ COMP RATES TO DROP

Apr 18 2005 // Arkansas Insur-ance Commissioner Julie Benafield Bow-man announced new workers’ compensation rates to take effect July 1, 2005. The new rates are slightly lower on average. “I am happy to see that overall rates...

LESS TIME OFF FOR WORKPLACE INJURIES

Apr 18 2005 // A report released by the Oklahoma Department of Labor showed a 20 percent reduction in 2003 in the number of workers requiring time off to recover from workplace injuries. The latest figure further supports the benefit of...

HOUSTON CLINIC PLEADS GUILTY

Apr 18 2005 // The Texas Workers’ Compen-sation Commission reported that following a lengthy investigation of its billing practices by the Travis County District Attorney’s office, a Houston company owned by a former...

Are California’s Workers’ Comp Troubles Over? SB 899 One Year Later

Apr 18 2005 // It was about one year ago, on April 19, 2004, that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed SB 899 into law, giving the state’s beleaguered workers’ compensation system a tremendous overhaul. Although...

Man Sentenced for Work Comp Fraud

Apr 18 2005 // Gregg Leo Curwick, of Rancho Cucamonga, California, has been sentenced by the Kern County Superior Court for workers’ compensation insurance fraud after a joint investigation by the CDI’s Fraud Division, the...

Insurer Group Files Lawsuit Against Texas Workers’ Compensation Commission

Apr 15 2005 // The Insurance Council of Texas reported it filed a lawsuit against the Texas Workers’ Compensation Commission challenging the agency’s proposed assessment of costly administrative penalties. ICT questions why...

Fla. Wraps Up Workers’ Comp Compliance Sweep

Apr 15 2005 // Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher on Friday announced the completion of a sweep of construction sites across areas of Florida to verify that employers are complying with state workers’...

La. Contractor Finding Visit to Fla. Not so Great; Felony Charges Filed for Lack of Workers’ Comp

Apr 15 2005 // A Louisiana contractor is facing felony charges for reportedly failing to obtain workers’ compensation insurance for workers he brought into the state to rebuild hurricane-damaged roofs in Central Florida. Todd...